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Joellen Martha Schildkraut

Professor Emeritus in Family Medicine and Community Health
Family Medicine and Community Health, Prevention Research
Box 2715 Med Ctr, Durham, NC 27705
6036 Hock Plaza, 2424 Erwin Road, Durham, NC 27705

Overview


Dr. Schildkraut is an epidemiologist whose research includes the molecular epidemiology of ovarian, breast and brain cancers. Dr. Schildkraut's research interests include the study of the interaction between genetic and environmental factors. She is currently involved in a large study of genome wide association and ovarian cancer risk and survival. Some of her work is also focused on particular genetic pathways including the DNA repair and apoptosis pathways. She currently leads a study of African American women diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She is also collaborating in a large a case-control study of meningioma risk factors and with which a genome wide association analysis is about to commence.

Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations


Professor Emeritus in Family Medicine and Community Health · 2015 - Present Family Medicine and Community Health, Prevention Research, Family Medicine and Community Health

Recent Scholarly Works


Ovarian cancer tumor immune profiles associated with intrauterine device and oral contraceptive use.

Journal article Br J Cancer · September 2026 BACKGROUND: Non-hormonal intrauterine devices (IUDs) create an inflammatory uterine environment while oral contraceptives (OC) suppress ovulation and have different associations with ovarian cancer risk. We have evaluated the associations of these two cont ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Tumor Multi-Omic Landscape of Endometrial Cancers Developed on a Background of Adiposity.

Journal article Genes (Basel) · June 29, 2026 Background: High body mass index (BMI) is a causal risk factor for endometrial cancer, but the tumor molecular mechanisms affected by adiposity remain poorly understood. Here, we characterize the tumor multi-omic landscape of endometrial cancers that have ... Full text Link to item Cite

Bayesian multi-cell type models for the analysis of complex immune cell populations with application to ovarian cancer.

Journal article Brief Bioinform · January 7, 2026 To understand how the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) impacts clinical outcomes and treatment response, researchers have been leveraging single-cell protein multiplex imaging techniques. These technologies measure multiple protein markers simultaneous ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Epidemiologic factors and survival by molecular subtypes of ovarian cancer

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center · 2013 - 2017

Research Training In Neuro-Oncology

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 1998 - 2016

Integrating Population and Basic Science in Cancer Research

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2009 - 2015

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Education


Yale University · 1987 Ph.D.
Yale University · 1982 M.P.H.